South Africa’s involvement in Super rugby could be whittled back to a mere handful of matches as SANZAR investigates a proposal that would see Australia and New Zealand stage their own Asia-Pacific tournament.

Wayne Smith reports for The Australian that Australian Rugby Union boss John O’Neill confirmed New Zealand media reports that the SANZAR working party set up in Dubai last week to facilitate the introduction of an expanded Super 15 competition in 2011 is also exploring a radically different back-up model.

The fall-back series would be a virtual Super 12 involving five teams each from Australia and New Zealand plus a team each from Japan and the Pacific islands. South Africa, meanwhile, would stage its own internal competition with the two conferences only coming together for a finals series.

Irrespective of which option prevails, New Zealand is looking at taking the lead in changing its Test eligibility rules to enable its players based with Australian or South African franchises to be considered for All Black selection.

Certainly, such a move would make it easier for any new Australian Super rugby franchise to assemble a competitive playing roster using surplus New Zealand talent.

It’s an idea O’Neill has long espoused and indeed he raised the possibility of a SANZAR competition-specific eligibility rule covering all three partner nations at the Dubai meeting.

At this moment, however, it is unclear whether Super rugby in anything like its present format will survive.

“Whilst the main game is an expanded Super 15, which remains our first preference, we clearly have to work on some other options just in case,” O’Neill said.

The “just in case” is a polite reference to what increasingly is becoming an impolite SANZAR backroom brawl, with South Africa digging its heels in to oppose any expansion of Super rugby that would push the competition into August where it would conflict with its domestic Currie Cup.

The other volatile sticking point is whether South Africa or Australia will supply the proposed expansion team.

The Afrikaans newspaper Sondag revealed that South Africa Rugby Union chief executive, Andy Marinos, and president, Oregan Hoskins, both attacked O’Neill in Dubai for allegedly revealing details of the SANZAR debate to the Australian media.

Marinos told the newspaper while O’Neill might have decided the 15th franchise would be an Australian one, South African rugby would not be dictated to.

“The days that other countries walk all over us are over,” Marinos said.

“We will do what we feel is right for South Africa, within the SANZAR context, and nothing else.”

All three countries agreed in Dubai on the need for an expansion, it was also decided that team would play in the Australian conference.

But if South Africa continues to insist on the new franchise being the Eastern Cape Southern Kings, then the concept could become laughable. Just what an Eastern Cape team would bring to an internal Australian series featuring the Waratahs, Reds, Brumbies and Western Force no one can explain.

Yet it is not just Australia and South Africa now facing off.

New Zealand is becoming frustrated with South Africa’s foot-dragging, which reached a head last July when an agreement to stage a six-team Super 14 finals series this year was vetoed by South Africa because it wanted the top two teams from each nation to participate rather than the top six teams on merit.

So infuriated was one Kiwi official with South Africa’s tactics of obstruction at a SANZAR meeting earlier this year that he blurted out: “You know you are leaving us with no choice but to take the Asia-Pacific option.”

Now the battlefield has shifted to the start and finish dates of the proposed elongated Super rugby season. At present the Super 14 finishes at the end of May and does not affect the Currie Cup.

But if the Super 15 expansion goes ahead, the new format would see each team play every other team once and then split into five-team Australian, New Zealand and South African conferences for a half-round of local matches, followed by the combined six-team finals series. That would mean a 22-week competition which inevitably would spill over into the Currie Cup.

For that reason, South Africa wants to stick with the present mid-February start. Another veto from it, however, could see the trans-Tasman partners go it alone.

Australia’s primary concern with an early start is the heat factor. Certainly, it was more good luck than good management that Cheetahs captain Juan Smith did not suffer more serious damage when he collapsed from heat exhaustion after playing in temperatures nearing 40C and the oppressive Brisbane humidity against the Reds on March 1.

While New Zealand shares those concerns, it also has other reasons for pushing for a mid-March start; to give its All Blacks more rest after their spring tour and to bolster early-season crowds. Seemingly playing Super 14 during the cricket season is testing even the Kiwis’ love of rugby.

New Zealand Rugby Union chief executive Steve Tew told the NZ Herald the country would be prepared to accept a start date of the last weekend in February, but warned there was no guarantee the SANZAR partners could work through their differences.

“It was reassuring to hear from our two partners that they remain committed, especially after speculation came out of South Africa that they were looking to Europe,” Tew said.

“But we are a very long way from popping champagne corks.

“As we work through the detail we are all finding issues. Whatever we decide has to work from both the playing side and from a commercial standpoint.”

It may well be that limiting South Africa’s involvement or even going ahead without it in a stand-alone Asia-Pacific tournament produces the best bottom line for Australia and New Zealand.

All three SANZAR partners share costs equally but South Africa, which generates the bulk of the television revenue, takes the biggest share of the spoils and is reputed to be seeking to increase its allocation to 45 per cent, which would see Australia’s slice of the pie cut from 25 per cent to 20 per cent.

An Asia-Pacific tournament would dramatically reduce travel costs. As well, its matches would be spread across just three time zones (New Zealand, the Australian east coast and the Australian west coast/Japan) which means all could be televised at watchable hours.

It is understood broadcasters believe games between Australian and South African teams played at present in the republic at 3am Australian time are commercially without value.

But if the Super 15 expansion goes ahead, the new format would see each team play every other team once and then split into five-team Australian, New Zealand and South African conferences for a half-round of local matches, followed by the combined six-team finals series. That would mean a 22-week competition which inevitably would spill over into the Currie Cup.

And add to that “6″ the fact that we bring in the majority of the money, which to me means we sell our matches for more, then I think a game at peak time in SA is worth more than if the game was played at peak time in Aus.

@robdylan (Comment 7) : So would I, but seriously, who is gonna watch Asia-Pacific timezone games?

Comment 23, posted at 10.03.09 12:37:43 by klempie

@Pokkel (Comment 22) : and what about one big global tournament – the whole year. that could be fun

Comment 24, posted at 10.03.09 12:39:24 by rekinek

But if the Super 15 expansion goes ahead, the new format would see each team play every other team once and then split into five-team Australian, New Zealand and South African conferences for a half-round of local matches, followed by the combined six-team finals series. That would mean a 22-week competition which inevitably would spill over into the Currie Cup.

I understood it would be a case of the conference being played and then a top 6 pool, after which you would have play-offs.

THIS is a lot more games than that.

Pool matches:
14 matches plus 1 bye = 15 weeks

Conference:
Playing the other teams in your “half-round” conference. I presume this means IF you played the team in your conference AWAY during the Pool matches then you now play them at HOME. 4 matches = 4 weeks

6 team Play-offs:
Still have no idea how a “fair” system of 6 team play-offs would work but presuming the 22 weeks mentioned is the correct duration then I would suspect 1/6 finals along the lines of 3 plays 6, 4 plays 5 while 1 and 2 play tiddlywinks. With Semi-Finals then seeing 1 and 2 hosting the winners of the 1/6 finals and then Finally the two semi-final winners playing each other.

@rekinek (Comment 28) : That’s what I’m saying. They can go if they want, but they’ll be cutting off their noses to spite their faces. What the hell does that saying mean anyway?

Comment 30, posted at 10.03.09 12:45:28 by klempie

New Zealand is looking at taking the lead in changing its Test eligibility rules to enable its players based with Australian or South African franchises to be considered for All Black selection.

Certainly, such a move would make it easier for any new Australian Super rugby franchise to assemble a competitive playing roster using surplus New Zealand talent.

It’s an idea O’Neill has long espoused and indeed he raised the possibility of a SANZAR competition-specific eligibility rule covering all three partner nations at the Dubai meeting.

This little bit would certainly solve the 15th team’s player problems. Neither SA not Aus can really claim that they have sufficient depth to staff an extra side. Using a little from each country would solve that problem.

cut off your nose to spite your face
to do something because you are angry, even if it will cause trouble for you ‘The next time he treats me like that, I’m just going to quit my job.’ ‘Isn’t that a bit like cutting off your nose to spite your face?’

cut off your nose to spite your face
to hurt yourself in an effort to punish someone else If you stay home because your ex-husband will be at the party, aren’t you just cutting off your nose to spite your face?

@Ollie (Comment 32) : that is very true.
you want strong local competition – this is where all the talent is coming from but you also want to see this talent playing with springboks.
but then again we have Vodacom Cup – can it replace CC?

oh crap! when will sa rugby wake up and get out of the mess. we have the crowds and the audiences. lets sell it elsewhere where our teams will get a better deal. or just have a two team series where the top teams from each nation play eachother, we use the cc to decide our teams.

The one you are discussing is different from the one SANZAR have though, that is why i say it has to be yours.

The SANZAR one is But if the Super 15 expansion goes ahead, the new format would see each team play every other team once and then split into five-team Australian, New Zealand and South African conferences for a half-round of local matches, followed by the combined six-team finals series. That would mean a 22-week competition which inevitably would spill over into the Currie Cup.

the new format would see each team play every other team once
14 pools games + 1 bye

==========================

and then split into five-team Australian, New Zealand and South African conferences for a half-round of local matches
4 local derbies for each team with ONE byes as they can’t play themselves and their are only 5 teams

Then ask NZ if they want to revert to a S10, with a 5/5/ split.
Or a S12 with a 6/6 split, leaving space for the Spears and Manawatu ro whomever they want to put in the comp.

Then let the Ozzies play with whomever they please.

Oz has all the issues and all you ever hear about is their problems. Time to cut out the bad apple and get on with it.

SARU will never allow the CC to be devalued, and rightly so. Same with NZ and the NPC. The CC and the NPC are the respective breeding grounds for SA and NZ’s players and the very reaosn why we’re both better than the Ozzies.

I dont see the point of playing a final against them if they go to the PAcific-Asia Cup.

Also dont see how a fiteenth side will in anyway enhance the competition.

Comment 57, posted at 10.03.09 18:54:02 by VinChainSaw

Surely they can cut down our travel costs, surely it should be closer to that of the other nations???

Comment 58, posted at 10.03.09 19:13:28 by flop

The Aussies are quite clever. They’ve already realized that a competition over many time-zones does not work for TV broadcasting. As soon as they have enough teams in their region, they will tell SA: “thanks for coming, but we don’t need you anymore.”

Let’s hope SARU has their NH plan lined up when it happens.

Comment 59, posted at 10.03.09 19:46:22 by fyndraai

@VinChainSaw (Comment 57) : Agreed. Let us and the Kiwis run the CC and NPC comps earlier in the year, perhaps top 6 provincial teams from each country, then top 3 from each country play a home and away leg against each other to get to a semi and final. We’d show more interest in their NPC and them in our CC to provide the TV revenue and we just won’t need the Aussies.